


RWBY Rock: Red Like Roses

by Stormage_dark_lord



Category: RWBY
Genre: Angst, Autistic Ruby Rose (RWBY), F/F, Faunus still exist, Fluff, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Misgendering, No Aura, No Grimm, No Semblances, Non-binary Blake Belladonna, Rock Band AU, tags to be added and changed
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-29
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-15 16:15:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29067174
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stormage_dark_lord/pseuds/Stormage_dark_lord
Summary: Ruby and Yang are finally getting their band started!Prepare for a story of angst, fluff, mischief, and most importantly, music!
Relationships: Other Relationship Tags to Be Added
Comments: 2
Kudos: 9





	1. Auditions and Meeting the Band

**Author's Note:**

> It begins!
> 
> This fic was actually my first foray into writing fanfic, but I shelved it after not too long and moved on to more, smut-filled work.
> 
> But now it’s back, polished and ready to see the world! The story is gonna follow the actual canon of RWBY mostly, with some deviations as I decide.
> 
> (Note: all of my music experience comes from concert and marching band, so bear with me)
> 
> Please enjoy!

“Yang Xiao-Long!” Ruby burst into her sister’s room, her red cloak waving dramatically in the air, “are you ready to rock?”

She got no response, until she heard from down the hall, “Ruby Rose, are you ready to rock?” Accompanied by a door being kicked open.

She laughed and ran down the hallway, nearly knocking over her sister as they collided in the middle of the hall, “Yang! Today’s the day!” She was practically shaking from excitement as she ran back into her room, her sister following close behind, “Oh, I’m so excited!”

Yang couldn’t help but smile, her sister’s bubbly energy was infectious, “would you say you’re... _ trill _ ed?”

Ruby faked a frown, her arms filled with instruments, “boo, Yang, give it a  _ rest _ .”

Yang put a hand over her heart, letting out a gasp, “did you just make a pun?” She smiled wider and bowed mockingly, “I concede to you, Sis, you are clearly the expert wordsmith.”

Ruby rolled her silver eyes, “a little help with these?”

Yang let out a hearty chuckle and took a few cases from her sister, “everything else is already in the studio, so once we get this stuff to Vale, we’ll be ready to go!”

Ruby nodded, then smiled and started running, “I’ll race ya!”

Before Yang could respond, her sister was already down the hall, and she struggled to keep up as she shouted, “hey, wait up!”

She half ran down the stairs, clutching the instruments tightly against her. She came to a screeching halt at the bottom, nearly running into her dad as he stood there with a confused look on his face.

“What’s going on, Yang?” Tai asked while running a hand through his blonde hair, “I just saw Ruby run past, but she didn’t say anything.”

“Ugh, today’s the day for auditions, dad,” Yang groaned and shifted the instruments in her arms, “We’re finally getting this band started.”

“I know that, but why are you running?” He rolled his shoulders back and pointed to the instruments, “those cost more lien than your bike, don’t you think you should be a bit more careful?”

“It’s fine, dad, Ruby and I are professionals,” she slid past Tai and continued after her sister, “we’ll be in the studio, call if you really need us, bye!”

“You girls be careful,” he shouted after them, then added quietly as a little black and white dog trotted past him, “you think they’ll be okay, Zwei?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  


“Alright, the drum kit’s set up, we’ve got the bass, the violin, and the keyboard on standby,” Yang turned to her sister, scroll in hand, seeing her bounce with anticipation, a red, flower-decaled guitar in her hands, “you got Crescent Rose ready?”

Ruby strummed a few chords and smiled, “she’s ready.”

“Good,” Yang gave her a thumbs up before checking the last item off of her scroll, “they should start getting here soon, but we have a bit of time to kill.” She looked back up at Ruby, noticing how close she was cradling her guitar, “you okay, Ruby?”

“Hmm, oh!” She smiled weakly, “I’m a-okay! Just…” she strummed her guitar a few times, “new people, y’know?”

“Well, we only need two more members,” Yang said while walking over to her sister and wrapping an arm around her shoulder, “and besides, you’ve got your big sister looking out for ya.” She smiled and hugged her sister tight.

“Yeah,” a quick beep from her scroll drew Ruby’s attention, and she opened it up to see quite a few unfamiliar faces.

The one closest to the camera was a girl with long, white hair tied back in a ponytail, light blue eyes, and a prominent scar over her left eye. Her brow was furrowed as she spoke with an air of authority, “Is there anyone there? Hello?”

“maybe if you yell louder, they’ll hear you.” The girl right behind the other said, her amber eyes looking uninterested. She raised a hand to fiddle with the bow atop her head and then touch the case on her back before continuing, “or you could wait a bit longer, until…”

She stopped talking as the door to the studio swung open and Yang appeared in the camera, “you all are here for the auditions?”

Ruby looked up in confusion, realizing just now that Yang had snuck off at some point. As she turned her attention back to the scroll, she noticed a few more people following. A girl with orange hair that was talking constantly to the calm boy next to her, a nervous looking, blond boy, and…

“Oh my god,” Ruby whispered as she saw the last girl. She was tall, with waist length red hair and green eyes. Despite her rather casual clothing, Ruby recognizes her in an instant, “oh my God!”

Yang returned to find Ruby rocking back and forth, Crescent Rose cradled against her in trembling hands, her face even paler than normal, “Ruby!” She rushed to her sister’s side, putting her hands on her shoulders as she kneeled down to look her in the eyes, “are you okay? Is it a panic attack?”

“P-Pyrrha N-Nikos,” Ruby muttered, her eyes wide but filled with light, “she’s here, in o-our studio.”

“Uh, who?” Yang asked, only to be bombarded by an explosion of information.

“Who?! She’s only the most famous solo artist this side of Remnant!” Ruby was shouting, not that she could help it, and she was glad the room was soundproof, “she’s been performing for years now, she’s always at the top of solo charts, oh my god!” Her nervous energy turned to excitement as she started bouncing in place, “but what is she doing here?!”

“She’s coming to audition,” Yang said with a smile, “and judging by how little everyone else reacted, I don’t think anyone else knows her.”

Ruby stopped bouncing, “oh, but she’s...so good,” she blushed, “sorry.”

“Nah, don’t apologize, you’re fangirling, it’s fine,” she gave her sister a thumbs up and a pat on the back, “trust me, if B from the White Fang showed up, I’d be in the same position.”

“Whatever, you just think they’re hot,” Ruby teased, making Yang blush, “I appreciate Pyrrha Nikos for her musical talent.”

“Hmph, she’s not bad looking either,” Yang shook her head and smiled, “alright, you ready to get started?”

~~~~~~~~~~~  
  


“So, Weiss Schnee,” Yang sat on a stool with Ruby leaning against the wall near her, “tell us about yourself.”

The white haired girl from earlier beamed, clearly excited at the prospect of talking about herself, “I’m a classically trained pianist, vocalist, and performer,” she flashed them a wide smile, “I’ve performed recitals all over Solitas.”

“Impressive,” Yang let out a low whistle, then gave Ruby a side eye, getting a shrug in return, “so, why are you interested in joining the band? Sounds to me that you’ve got it made.”

At this, her face fell, if only for a second, but the sisters caught it nonetheless, “I’m...I’m simply looking to better myself!” The smile returned, “I’m a solo performer first and foremost, but even a soloist must know how to share the stage with others.”

“Okay,” Yang fought the urge to roll her eyes, “well, ms. soloist, let’s hear what you’re auditioning with.”

“Of course,” she pointed at the keyboard, “I’ll need that.”

“Coming right up,” Ruby spoke for the first time while moving the keyboard in front of Weiss, “careful with her.”

“This is an original piece, with lyrics by me,” With practiced grace, Weiss placed her hands on the keyboard and started playing. She kept them in suspense, before singing,  _ “Mirror, tell me something, tell me who’s the loneliest of all? Mirror, what’s inside me. Tell me can a heart be turned to stone?” _ She finished with a flourish of the piano, then bowed her head.

“Wow,” Yang and Ruby said together.

“So, how was that?” Weiss was beaming with pride.

“That was good,” Yang nodded, “you can head back out, we’ll talk to you once auditions are done.”

“Oh,” she was clearly not expecting that, but she hid it with another smile, “I eagerly await your response.” She walked out, and Ruby moved the piano back out of the way.

“Sooooo,” Ruby started to ask, “she was good-“

“She was really good,” Yang corrected, “and that piece was...Damn good.” She dodged the smack Ruby came at her with, “sorry, but it’s true!”

“Hmph, cursing in front of your little sister, how cruel of you,” Ruby teased, “next thing you know I’ll be talking like a sailor.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Yang rolled her eyes, “okay, who’s next?”

~~~~~~~~~~~  
  


“Blake Belladonna,” Yang looked up at the girl, flashing her a smile, “tell us about yourself.”

She was clearly not expecting the question, and she rubbed her sleeved arms before starting, “well, I’m from...Mistral, originally, but I moved here with my old band,” she touched her arms again, “I’ve been playing bass and singing since I was little,” she shrugged the case off of her back, “that’s about it.”

“You had another band?” Ruby asked, “who were they?”

“Just a...cover band, we played for fun, not for fame, but we ended up...breaking up,” she pulled the bass out of her case, a black bass with a red decal of a wolf’s head with claw marks behind it.

“Woah!” Yang’s eyes went wide and she rushed forward, inspecting the bass, “this looks exactly like B’s bass from the White Fang!” She looked up at Blake, “are you a fan?!”

“Oh...y-yeah,” Blake rubbed the back of her head, “I was...actually gonna play part of one of their songs for this.”

“Ooo, which one?!”

“ _ From Shadows _ , it’s...my favorite,” Blake blushed and finally stepped back, “could you...give me some space?”

“Oh, right, sorry!” Yang stepped back and sheepishly rubbed her head, “it’s just, so cool meeting another human fan, there’s not a lot of us.”

“Y-yeah, well…” she cleared her throat, “I’m gonna start now,” she strummed out the beginning, then sang, “ _ Born with no life into subjugation, treated like a worthless animal! Stripped of all rights, just a lesser being, crushed by cruel ruthless human rule!” _

Much to Blake’s surprise, Yang joined in for the next part,  _ “When it started, all we wanted was a chance to live our lives! Now in darkness, taking everything we want and we will rise, we’ll rise, we’ll rise!” _

“Okay!” Ruby interrupted before Yang could continue and embarrass herself more, “that was really good, Blake, we’ll talk about it more and get back to you after the rest of the auditions.”

“R-right,” she had a permanent blush as she packed up her bass and walked out.

Yang failed to dodge the smack coming her way, mostly because she knew she deserved it, “ow! I’m sorry!”

“You’re not auditioning, Yang, quit fangirling and take this seriously!”

“I am, I am!” She rubbed her cheek and sighed, “I’m sorry, I’ll apologize to her after,” her shame didn’t stop the smile that came next, “but, she’s definitely getting in, right?”

“Probably,” Ruby smiled and rolled her eyes, “who’s next?”

~~~~~~~~~~  
  


“Pyrrha Nikos,” Yang said while Ruby stood like a deer in headlights, “tell us about yourself.”

Pyrrha giggled, nearly making Ruby faint then and there, “well, I’m from Argus originally, I started singing and dancing when I was...5?” She laughed again, “I got more popular as the years went on, but after awhile,” she sighed, her smile falling away, “it stopped being about the music and started being about me. So that’s why I’m here, I want to join a band and live a life of music.”

“W-wow,” Ruby was starry-eyed as she mumbled, “what are you going to perform?”

“I was thinking,  _ Dream Come True _ ,” she smiled at Ruby, “would you be able to play me in?”

“Absolutely!” Ruby started playing her guitar, “whenever you’re ready!”

Pyrrha smiled and took a deep breath, letting Ruby play for a bit before coming in,  _ “I been watchin’ you lately, chasing your tail and it drives me crazy, you’ll never get that girl. She don’t see in you the things that I can see, the girl’s ice cold, it ain’t meant to be, Look, you’ll never land a part in her world. I been spending time wondering why nothing that I do can catch your eye, Just can’t capture your attention. Maybe I’m too tall or not your type, But I’m not givin’ up, I’ll get it right, Being close to you is my intention!” _ She finished the verse with a sway and a cue to Ruby, who played a flourish before gasping excitedly, “how was that?”

“That was amazing!” Ruby shook excitedly, “I think I could die happy right now!”

“I’m impressed,” Yang agreed, “Ruby said you were good, but...wow.”

“Thank you,” Pyrrha smiled warmly, “I’ll let you two talk in peace,” she gave them a wave before walking out.

“Oh my god, I thought I was going to faint!” Ruby leaned against the wall with a giddy smile on her face, “she’s definitely in, right?”

“Oh yeah, absolutely, in fact-“ she stopped as Blake walked back in, “oh, Blake, what’s up?”

“Umm, well I figured you should know, the rest of your auditioners...left,” she looked down at the ground, “it’s, uh, just me and the white haired girl left.”

“What?!” Ruby ran to the door, pushing past Blake to see that Pyrrha was walking back in with a sad look, “did something happen?!”

“Oh, yes, the blond boy, I think his name is Jaune, he, uh, wasn’t feeling well,” she touched her stomach, “it was nerves I think, but the other two were trying to help him, and I offered to drive them to the hospital if need be.”

“Oh, that’s terrible,” Ruby sighed, “i hope he feels better soon,” she looked up at Pyrrha, “you aren’t staying, are you?”

“Unfortunately, no,” Pyrrha smiled sadly, “you and your sister are wonderful, talented people, but helping others comes above finding a band,” she blushed a bit, “and besides, it seems like you’ve got a good set right here,” she gestured to Blake and Weiss, “good luck with this, maybe we’ll see each other again someday.”

Ruby watched her walk away, then turned to the remaining girls, “uh, welcome to the band!” She awkwardly shuffled to the door, “Yang, get out here!”

“Alright, welcome to the band, girls!” Yang stepped out with a large smile, “should we get this first practice started?”

“What, just like that?” Weiss raised an eyebrow, “you’re not going to make us prove ourselves more?”

“I mean, if you want I can make you do vocal warm ups for an hour,” Yang laughed and leaned against the door, “but, seriously, that’s it, you’re part of the band, unless you want to leave like the rest did.”

“Alright,” she stood with a sigh, “I suppose we should do introductions.”

“Slow your roll there,” Yang held up a hand, then looked over at Blake, “are you in too?”

“Of course,” Blake nodded and smiled the tiniest bit, “I didn’t come here just to say no when given the chance.”

“Awesome!” Yang walked over to one of the couches, sitting down and smiling, “pull up a seat, let’s do introductions for real,” she waited for them all to sit, “so, I’m Yang Xiao Long, percussionist and resident bombshell beauty,” she winked and continued, “I didn’t start getting into playing music until I was 13, but apparently I’ve got a knack for it. Oh, I also own a motorcycle and am the threetime kickboxing champion at our local gym,” she flexed her arms and flashed a smile, “you don’t get muscles like this just playing drums.”

“God, you’re such a show off,” Ruby shoved her lovingly before clearing her throat, “I’m Ruby Rose, I play guitar, bass, piano, violin, viola, cello, double bass, I dabble in singing, and I also compose and write music,” she took a deep breath, which was just enough time for Blake to interrupt.

“You can play all of those?” Blake asked with wonder in her voice, “like, actually play?”

“Sure, most string instruments are similar enough that it’s just applying what I already know, plus I’ve got a natural affinity for music,” she beamed with pride, “my dad likes to say that if it’s got strings, I can play it, and if it doesn’t, I’ll figure it out.”

“Damn,” Blake leaned back in her chair, narrowly avoiding a smack she wasn’t expecting, “ah! What the hell?!”

“Sorry!” Ruby grabbed her arm tight, “reflex with Yang, she’s not supposed to curse and dad gave me the okay to hit her if she does,” she looked sheepishly at the ground, “if I’m not with Yang I can control it, but, uh, she’s here right now.”

“That’s what you get for abusing your poor sister,” Yang fake pouted and then laughed as Ruby shoved her again, “anyways, anything more to say about yourself?”

“Not really, I work out too, but not as religiously as Yang does, just to keep in shape,” she sat back, then shot back up, “oh, yeah! The two of us actually live right above the studio, but our home is in Patch, the little island off the coast of Vale.”

“Okay, before I get into myself,” Weiss looked at the sisters, “you’re sisters, right?” They nodded, “then, why are your last names different?”

“Different moms,” Yang shrugged, “I’m kind of an oddball, since it’s my dad’s last name, not my mom’s, but he didn’t want me to be a Branwen, especially after she left.”

“And I’ve got my mom’s name,” she sighed, “it’s the only thing I’ve got left of her besides my guitar.”

“Oh,” Weiss sank sheepishly into her seat, “sorry.”

“It’s fine, it’s been a while since she passed,” Ruby put on a smile, “but enough about us, you both told us a little bit, but we wanna hear more.”

“Oh, well, I’m Weiss Schnee,” she straightened her back and flashed them all a smile, “I sing, play piano, and dance, and I’ve been doing so for fourteen years. I used to live in Atlas, but I’m living in a hotel a few streets away right now.”

“Wait, you’re Weiss Schnee? Like, current heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, Weiss Schnee?” Blake’s eyes narrowed as she stared at the heiress, “the same company that exploits its workers and has a monopoly over the dust market?”

“Yes, I am,” Weiss furrowed her brow, “but I won’t be chided for my father’s business decisions, I have no control over them, and he has no control over me.”

“Okaaaaay,” Yang leaned forward, “so, what, you’re a multi-millionaire?”

“Multi-billionaire,” Blake corrected, much to Weiss’s dismay, “and every single Lien was earned by stealing land, abusing workers, and crushing small businesses that dared to get in the way.”

“Hey, girls,” Ruby interrupted, “look, I won’t pretend to understand what you guys are talking about, but I can tell it’s going to start a fight, so why don’t we just cool down and talk about something else?” She looked at Weiss, “so, what do you do in your free time?”

“I mostly practice more,” she shrugged, “I don’t really have hobbies.”

“Well then, you’re lucky it’s gym night,” Yang laughed, “cause guess where you’re going?”

“And what if I say no, are you going to kidnap me?”

“Yup, hold you hostage and get my money’s worth,” Yang laughed again, “but no, I’m not gonna make you go.”

“Then why-“

“It’s called a joke, to lighten the mood,” she rolled her eyes, “moving on, Blake, what about you?”

“I’m Blake Belladonna, uh, I’m from Mistral, I play bass, I sing, I write music and lyrics, I’ve been doing it for a while, like 12 years. Umm, I used to be in a band with my ex, and...now I’m not,” she blushed bright red, “I read and write in my spare time, and I workout sometimes, but nothing serious. Oh, I’m...not actually staying anywhere at the moment.”

“You’re homeless?” Ruby’s heart twisted up as she let out a sigh, “do you need a place, me and Yang have plenty of room upstairs, we’ve got a few guest rooms, in fact, you guys could both stay-“

“Okay, wait, let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” surprisingly, it was Weiss that interrupted, not Yang, “we haven’t even practiced together, and you’re offering us both a room.”

“Dad says never to let down a friend in need,” Ruby smiled warmly, “and if we’re band mates, then we’re friends, simple as that.”

“I appreciate it, Ruby,” Blake smiled, and her bow twitched the tiniest bit, “listen, let’s get through this practice, and if things go well, we’ll talk about it more.”

“Okay!” Yang clapped her hands together, “let’s get this practice started!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  


“Alright, everyone tuned up, got your sheet music?” Ruby turned in a quick circle, giving everyone a thumbs up and getting one in return, “great! Let’s get this started with the first song.” She gave a nod to Yang.

“Two, three, four!” She tapped her sticks together but nothing else.

Ruby started strumming a repeating tune with Blake as support, her eyes closing as she let herself get lost in the music.

Weiss stood silently, counting the measures in her head. There really wasn’t much to the song, a few lines, then instrumental until the end. To Weiss, it seemed unfinished, but she wasn’t going to argue, yet,  _ “Red like roses fills my dreams and brings me to the place you rest. White is cold and always yearning, burdened by a royal test. Black the beast descends from shadows, Yellow beauty burns gold.” _ And just like that, her part was over, and she idly swayed, enjoying the tone shift as the drums came in and the pace picked up. It was nice, but the more Weiss listened the more she realized it was lacking, and she had to say something, “wait!”

Ruby stopped mid strum, looking over at Weiss with confusion, which quickly transitioned to an apologetic look, “sorry, I know there’s not a lot of vocal stuff in this one-“

“It’s not that,” Weiss sighed, “well, not just that, this song is nice, but it’s lacking a lot.”

“Well, this has always been our warmup and mess around song, there’s not a whole lot to it, but it’s still fun,” Yang explained, her eyes darting over to Ruby now and again, “we can move on if you’d prefer, it was mostly Ruby til the end anyways.”

“Y-Yang,” Ruby looked over at her sister, then held her guitar closer to her chest, “please?”

“Oh, yeah,” the blonde looked between Blake and Weiss, “uh, can you two, come with me for a second?” She didn’t give them a choice as she practically dragged them out of the room.

“So, what’s going on?” Blake asked, listening as the sounds of guitar filled the air, much louder and more like noise than music.

“I didn’t mean to hurt her feelings,” Weiss said stiffly, trying to be apologetic, “she sounds upset.”

“It’s not your fault,” Yang sighed, “I’m sure you noticed Ruby is...weird. Music isn’t just music to her, I don’t know how to describe it and I don’t understand when she tries, but that’s not important.” She sighed again, “there’s some things she feels she has to do, every time we practice, playing her mom’s song is one of them,” she winced as the noise got louder, “when she doesn’t, she gets in a weird mental state, sometimes she’s super apologetic, other times she’s really aggressive, it kinda changes based on her whims, and this is her dealing with it,” the noise started getting quieter, “look, I’m not expecting you to just go along with everything she says or does, but, save the complaints for once we’ve finished at least.”

Weiss’s heart sank as she looked over at the door, but she masked it with indifference, “you should have told us beforehand.”

“I didn’t think it would be a problem,” Yang shrugged, “that’s my bad.” The door swung open and Ruby walked out, going straight up to Yang and groaning as she embraced her, “hey, Rubes, you get it all out?”

“Uh huh,” she mumbled, “m’sorry, didn’t mean to ruin practice.”

“It’s fine,” Weiss assured her, “I shouldn’t have been so judgmental, I didn’t realize what the song meant to you.”

“S’fine,” Ruby mumbled again, “you wanna go back to practice?”

“That sounds like a good idea,” Weiss quickly walked back into the other room, but Blake stayed for a moment.

“Hey, Ruby,” she clutched her arms and blushed, “can I ask you something?”

“Mmm’yeah,” Ruby nodded and mumbled more.

“Would you be okay with me taking a look at the song and suggesting some things?” She felt awful asking, like she was asking to desecrate a corpse, “I can tell it’s important to you, and I know how useful an outsider’s look on a song can be.”

“Sure,” Ruby finally let go of Yang, then trudged back into the other room.

“Should I not have done that?” Blake asked.

“No, you’re fine,” Yang nodded, “she’s running low on energy, but once we start playing again she’ll be fine,” she patted Blake on the arm, “thanks, for asking, I’ve been working up the courage for years.” She led Blake back into the room, then sat at the drums, “okay, girls, what’s next?”

What was next was several half-finished songs, many of which even Ruby admitted she wanted to finish but simply never had. They all were in the same place as the first, they were good, but they could be great.

“Okay!” Yang wiped her brow and smiled before stretching her back, “despite a minor hiccup at the beginning, that was a good practice!” She looked between Weiss and Blake, “what did you guys think?”

“It was good,” Blake looked over at Ruby and chanced a joke, “you need to write more bass parts, though.”

“And more vocals,” Weiss didn’t catch the joke and jumped in to politely criticize, “your songs are good, but if you want to perform them, they need to be finished.”

Ruby nodded and smiled sadly, “yeah, sorry to disappoint.”

Weiss immediately felt guilty, “I didn’t mean to insult you, you have talent, it just needs to be exercised more.”

“And speaking of exercise,” Yang jumped in before any more accidental insults could come out, “me and Ruby have to hit the gym, you two can come with if you want, we can spot your first session, but you’ll have to pay for the rest.”

“Thank you for that,” Blake put her bass away, “do you mind if I leave it here for now? I can come back and pick it up afterwards.”

“No problem at all, the studio has decent security,” Yang looked over at Weiss, “you coming too, Weiss?”

“Well it would be rude not to,” Weiss murmured, clearly not looking forward to the prospect, “so I suppose so.”

“Great, let’s go!”

~~~~~~~~~~  
  


The walk to the gym didn’t take long, it took Yang longer to lock the studio up in fact, so there really wasn’t much room for talk until they got to the changing rooms.

“Shit,” Blake cursed under her breath, before looking up with wide eyes, expecting a smack to come her way, “I mean, shoot, uh-“

“Don’t worry, I’m getting used to your voice,” Ruby smiled at her while changing, “what’s the problem?”

“I...don’t have a change of clothes on me,” she blushed and grabbed her arms again, “guess I’ll just spot today.”

“It’s fine, you can borrow a pair of mine,” Yang offered, already changed into gold shorts and a tank top, her hair pulled back in a ponytail, “I’ve got a bunch, and you’re...kinda my size,” she started rooting through her bag, “I don’t know if my tops will fit you though.”

“Really, Yang, it’s fine,” Blake raised her hands to calm her down from her search, “I’ve got my own stuff where I’m camped out, I’ll bring it next time.”

“Are you sure, Blake?” Ruby asked, “we’re, pretty close in chest size, one of my tops should fit,” she didn’t catch the blush on Blake’s face, “I’d say it might be a bit short, but it doesn’t seem like you mind too much.”

“Seriously, I’m fine,” before they could argue anymore, she walked out, “I’ll wait for you guys out here.”

“That was weird,” Weiss shrugged, “but, I am in the same boat as Blake, and I do not want to borrow your clothes.”

“Fine, fine, you can spot too,” Yang rolled her eyes, “come on, these abs don’t keep themselves in shape.” She took her arm and dragged her away, and Ruby followed after shortly, walking up to Blake and sighing.

“What’s up, Ruby?” Blake started to detach from the wall she was leaning against but Ruby stopped her.

“I know what you’re hiding,” she whispered, sending a chill down Blake’s spine, “I won’t tell anyone, promise.”

Blake gulped, how had Ruby figured her out? Was the bow too obvious, or maybe her eyes? She started to sweat as Ruby got closer, “Ruby, you can’t tell anyone that I’m-“

“Shhh,” Ruby put a finger to her own lips and her eyes widened knowingly, “I know it’s hard, keeping them a secret, but we won’t judge you, I certainly won’t,” she touched her own leg, “I’ve got some, too, from years back.”

Blake’s mind did a complete 180 as she realized what Ruby was actually talking about, “oh, yeah, scars,” she touched her arms instinctively, “how’d you figure it out?”

“You do that, for one,” she pointed to Blake’s hands touching her arms, “also, we’re getting into summer and you’re still wearing long sleeves, plus the way you talked about your past, really vague and all that, I figured you didn’t have the best home life, so my mind just got there.”

Blake nodded. Ruby had puzzled part of her out, but not everything, “yeah, you’re right,” she watched as a few people walked past, “can we, go exercise now?”

“Oh, yeah, sorry!” Ruby took a step back, “I didn’t mean to corner you, just, wanted you to know you aren’t alone, and this is a judgement free zone.”

“Thanks, Ruby.” Blake smiled and started walking into the gym, “so, what are you planning for today?”

“Something simple, a run maybe,” she smiled, “you wanna time me? I’m trying to hit a sub-6 mile and I’m right there!” She didn’t really give Blake a choice as she dragged her to the indoor track, and sat her on a nearby bench before starting to stretch, “you got a timer?”

Blake flashed her scroll, “you’re really near a sub-6?”

“Yup! I’m small, light, and speedy,” she laughed a bit, “what about you, run much?”

“Sub-8, but I don’t focus on it,” Blake smiled as Ruby kept stretching, “is that really necessary?”

“Aha, that’s why you’re only sub-8!” Ruby said before bending forward to try and touch her toes, “you have to stretch properly if you want to run well.”

“I’ll take your word for it,” she leaned back a bit on the bench, “you ready?” She got a nod, “okay, go!”

Six minutes and five seconds later, Ruby finished her final lap and Blake called time, “you’re really close,” Blake showed her the time, and she smiled, “but it seems like you’re working yourself too hard.”

“What, this?” Ruby gestured to the sweat pouring down her body, “no, I just sweat a lot,” she grabbed the water bottle from her bag and chugged it, “ah! That’s better!” She looked at Blake, “what was the time again?”

“Six minutes, five seconds.”

“Not even a P.B.” Ruby groaned and stretched a bit more, “okay, give me another minute, and we’ll try again.”

And so they tried again, and again, and again. By the end of Ruby’s fourth mile, she looked like she’d been dunked in a pool multiple times and dropped on the ground where she now sat.

“Well, you shaved a whole second and a half off of your first mile,” Blake smiled sadly, “but that’s still a half a second from your personal best.”

Ruby smiled before laying on her back and stretching her arms into the air, “wooo, I did it!”

Blake cocked her head, “did what?”

“I ran a sub-6!” She cheered quietly to herself.

“Uh, are you okay? Do you need more water?”

“I’m fine,” Ruby giggled and twirled her hands through the air, “just practicing my celebration for when I finally get it.”

Blake cocked her head the other way, then smiled, and then laughed, “you’re a dork, you know that?”

“Says you,” Ruby stuck her tongue out but didn’t bother to raise her head and actually look at Blake, “ms. ‘B from the White Fang look-alike’.”

“What?”

“You look just like them, except for the bow, and lack of general hatred for humanity,” Ruby twirled her hands some more, “do you do it on purpose, or are you just lucky?”

“I, uh,” Blake’s mind was screaming that she had been caught and needed to leave, “I’m just lucky.”

“Yeah, figures,” Ruby dropped her arms and sighed, “how long have we been here?”

“Hasn’t even been half an hour.”

“Ugh, I’m tired,” Ruby sighed again, “hey, you wanna bail on Yang and Weiss and head back to the studio?”

“Will Yang be okay with that?”

“Psh, she’s not in charge of me,” Ruby sat up and wiped her forehead, “unless you want to sit here for another hour watching me sweat, let’s leave.”

For a brief second, Blake’s mind told her that she liked that idea, but she quickly dismissed it and stood, offering a hand to Ruby, “sure, we’ll stop by my spot and I’ll grab my stuff on the way.”


	2. Home Sweet Home

“Welcome to our home away from home!” Ruby gestured dramatically as she opened the door, letting Blake in, “we’ve got a fully furnished living room, kitchen/dining room, the bathroom is down the hall, and the bedrooms are upstairs,” she pointed to a set of stairs, “you can drop your stuff anywhere, I’ll start some coffee.”

Blake looked around, the duffel bag that had all her things over her shoulder, and smiled a bit. The walls were covered in posters from different bands, but one in particular caught her attention. Behind the couch, a large poster with  _ STRQ White _ in big letters above four smiling people. The farthest left looked exactly like Ruby, right down to the guitar she held in her hands.

“Oh, hey, looking at my parent’s poster?” Ruby came into the room, the sound of a coffee maker whirring in the background, “it’s good right?”

“Y-yeah, I’ve just, never heard of them before.”

“Well, they weren’t exactly popular,” Ruby laughed and sat on the couch, leaning her head back and smiling up at the poster, “they played at bars and clubs around Vale mostly, but they did a couple concerts in Mistral when they got bigger,” she pointed to each person, “that’s my mom, Summer, she was the lead guitarist and wrote a lot of their songs too,” she pointed to the next one, a blond man, “that’s my dad, Taiyang, he was the drummer and the heart of the band,” the next one, a woman with black hair the length of Yang’s, and the smallest smile by far, “that’s Raven, she’s Yang’s mom and was their lead singer, she also wrote the songs my mom didn’t,” the last one, a man with slicked back, black hair and red eyes, “and that’s my uncle Qrow! He was the bassist, and I think he was the unofficial bodyguard.”

“Wow,” Blake set her bag down next to the couch and sat down next to Ruby, “so, what happened to them?”

“They broke up after Yang was born,” Ruby’s attitude fell, “Raven...couldn’t handle the pressure of a kid and the band, so she left them. My mom and dad were heartbroken, they...they really cared about her, but she just disappeared, so they had to move on. They moved to my dad’s house in Patch, raised Yang together, then two years later, I was born.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to bring up bad memories.”

“It’s fine, I don’t mind,” Ruby smiled at her, “like I said, my mom passed years ago, I was maybe three years old. I didn’t understand, but I knew that Yang and my dad were sad, so I acted sad too,” she sighed, “but I didn’t do it right, you know? It was the first time my dad realized something was...wrong with me.”

Blake didn’t know how to respond to that, but she still tried, “is there something wrong with you?”

“Yeah, my brain is weird,” she pointed to her head, “emotions are hard, like, I’m a lot better about it now, but I used to be bad at empathy, and like, doing the right emotions when I was supposed to.”

“Really?”

“Yup. I remember, a few years later, we went to visit my mom’s grave, and everyone else was sad, but I wasn’t. I knew I was supposed to be, but I just...stayed happy. I asked to talk to my mom, and I just sat there, happily chatting to no one.” she sighed again, “I still do that, just go and talk to my mom,” she looked over at Blake, “so, what about you? You said you had a band.”

“Oh, yeah-” she was interrupted as something dinged, and Ruby shot up, running into the kitchen before quickly returning with a tray with a coffeepot, two mugs, and some cream and sugar, “oh, coffee, right.”

“I know it’s a bad habit, but I can’t help it,” she added a bunch of cream and sugar to her mug, turning it a much lighter color, “you want anything in yours?”

“Oh, uh, i don’t need anything,” she poured herself some, trying to seem appreciative, but as soon as she sipped it her face contorted with displeasure, “ugh, ack!”

“Oh, don’t like coffee?” Ruby cocked her head, “you don’t have to drink it.”

“No, it’s fine,” Blake took another sip and immediately regretted it, “it’d be rude not to.”

“If you say so,” Ruby shrugged and drank deeply, “so, your band?”

“Right, uh, like I said, we were just a cover band, it started with me and my...my ex,” she looked at her reflection in the coffee, “he was our lead vocalist. The stage was his, he always seemed so in control, so happy,” she started to cry, “but, it was all a front. Off the stage, he was...terrible. It started small, he insisted on being involved in everything, then just deciding what the band did without asking, whenever we questioned him, he made it our fault, and we couldn’t even argue, because the crowds we got loved him,” a tear fell into her mug, and she choked on her words, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be telling you this, it’s not your burden-“ she stopped as Ruby hugged her.

“Please don’t cry,” Ruby said quietly, “you’re okay right now, you don’t need to be sad.”

Blake looked down at the girl embracing her, then sighed and pushed her away, “thank you,” she stood up, intent on putting some distance between them, and grabbed her bag, “you said the rooms were upstairs?”

“Yeah, the empty ones are on the left,” Ruby had picked up her coffee again, “if you need anything, just ask.”

“Yeah,” she walked upstairs, going to the far left door and opening it. It was a fully furnished room, a bed, a desk, a closet, and a set of dresser drawers. There was a window on the far side, and out it Blake could see the street below.

With another sigh and a sniffle, she dropped her bag on the floor, shut the door, and started going through her things. It was mostly clothes and a few books she’d managed to grab, but what she wanted was at the bottom. She pulled out the wrapped package and the note that came with. She’d read it a hundred times, she had it memorized, but that didn’t stop her from doing it again.

_ Blake, _

_ We know we can’t stop you from following your heart and doing what you think is best, but we still want to be there for you. If you’re ever struggling, open this package up. _

_ Hopefully when we see each other again, it will be on better terms than when you left. _

_ Your loving parents, _

_ Kali and Ghira _

Blake shook her head and held the note close to her chest. She felt herself start crying again, but she wiped them away and opened the package. She had carried it for years, intent on never using it, but it was time.

The first thing she saw was a long metal case, and when she opened it, her heart skipped a beat. It was filled to the brim with Lien, more than she had ever seen in her life, enough to keep her going for months, maybe even a year if she used it right. She closed the case as quickly as she’d opened it, then set it to the side.

The next thing was something square wrapped in a thick cloth. As she unwrapped it, she saw another note stuck to the front, and the edges of her reflection,  _ “Never forget who you are.” _ The note read, and she couldn’t stop the tears as they fell. She set it to the side and with blurry eyes opened the last package.

It was just a box, but when she opened it, all of her emotions became too much. Her old songbook laid at the bottom, something she’d thought she lost, but now it was back again. She quickly grabbed it, along with the mirror and the box of money, and set them all on her new desk. She tilted the mirror so she could look down into it, then carefully reached up and unwrapped her bow.

Her ears flicked back and forth as they were finally freed, but her eyes were drawn to the large chunk out of her left ear. It had been the breaking point, and her tears fell faster as she thought about it more.

“Yang!” She heard Ruby shout from below her, and she hurriedly wiped her eyes and wrapped her ears back up, then walked downstairs to see Ruby tending to her sister.

“You think this is bad?” Yang laughed as Ruby forced an ice pack against her eye and bandaged her hand, “you should see the other guy.”

“Woah, what happened?” Blake asked.

“This absolute moron got into a fight as we were leaving the gym!” Weiss shouted, “so not only did I have to sit around and watch her sweat for an hour, I also had to carry her limping ass home!”

“I told you I was fine,” Yang rolled her eyes and hissed as Ruby flicked her in the forehead, “ow, I didn’t start it! The guy was bothering Weiss as we left, I told him to back off, and he swung at me.” She huffed and looked over at Weiss, who was helping herself to some coffee, “right, Weiss?”

“Still an idiot,” she mumbled, before drinking her coffee, “and if you’d let me handle it, it would have been fine.”

“I’m not gonna let someone as pretty as you get bullied,” Yang laughed as Weiss choked on her coffee, “I’m a gentlewoman, I have to come to a lady’s honor.”

“You’re an absolute idiot,” Weiss mumbled again, this time with a blush on her face, “and I need to go back to my hotel, so when are we meeting again?”

“Uh, give us your number, we’ll tell you once we figure it out,” Yang looked over at Blake, “you decided to stay here?”

“Yeah,” she rubbed the back of her head, “I...really, really appreciate it, you guys didn’t have to-“

“Already done, so don’t say another word,” Yang dismissed her with a wave of her hand, “if anything, it’s making up for what I did during your audition.” She was taken aback as Weiss shoved her scroll into her hands, “oh, right, one second,” she fished her scroll out of her pocket, then put Weiss’s contact info in, “alright, I’ll get Blake’s number, then set up a group chat or something.”

“Good,” Weiss snatched her scroll back from her, “I will see you all at our next practice, goodnight!” She stormed out the door, slamming it shut on her way out.

“She does know it’s like 7:00, right?” Ruby asked as she sat on the couch, “we’re not sleeping for at least three more hours.”

“Maybe she’s an early sleeper,” Yang suggested, sitting next to Ruby, “turn on the news, I wanna see if there’s anything about the White Fang,” she looked over at Blake, who was standing awkwardly, “come sit down, Blake. Ruby scoot over here and give her some room.”

“There’s other chairs,” Ruby mumbled but still scooted closer to her sister before patting the seat next to her, “come sit, the next story is about them.”

“Okay,” Blake awkwardly sat next to her, her eyes watching the screen as Ruby turned the volume up.

“And in local news, trending rock band the White Fang has finally made an announcement after weeks of silence,” the news lady explained, “the band’s vocalist, A, has stated that bassist B has split from the band due to creative differences, and guitarist I is still in the hospital after her accident weeks ago. The rising rock band has become a sensation amongst young Faunus, their songs of rebellion truly striking a chord with their audience, who now fear that the band may never recover from this setback. We now go to our reporter, who is conducting interviews with fans on the street-“ the tv shut off, and both Blake and Ruby looked over at Yang, who’s purple eyes had turned red.

“I can’t believe they would do that!” Yang shouted, “the band meant everything to them, and they just left!”

“Maybe something more happened,” Blake suggested quietly, “usually when the news says ‘creative differences’ they mean there was a fight between members.”

“But still! They were the best member, they wrote all the music, who’s going to do that now?!” Yang stood up and sighed, “and, freaking I getting in an accident,” she kicked the table in front of them and growled, “fuck!”

“I’m sure they’re okay,” Ruby, surprisingly, hadn’t jumped up to slap Yang for swearing, “why don’t you take a deep breath, and calm down.”

Yang did exactly that, and when she sat back down, her eyes were purple again, “ugh, this sucks.”

“Well, you know what gets my mind off of things?” Blake said, trying to be helpful, “a nice meal.”

“Ooo, yes!” Ruby bounced excitedly in her seat, then grabbed Yang by the shoulder, “we should order takeout! It can be a celebration of getting the band together and moving into a new place!” She shook her sister, “come on, Yang, let’s do it!”

“Fine, fine!” Yang pushed her sister away, laughing as she did, “god, same place as always?”

“Duh,” Ruby fired back, before looking at Blake, “oh, it’s this noodle shop downtown, their food is so good, we always go there for celebrations!”

“Oh, the one with the flashing bowl of noodles above the door?” Blake asked, which earned her an excited nod, “yeah, if you don’t mind, can I get the catch of the day special?”

“Yup!” Yang gave her a thumbs up before perking up as her scroll stopped ringing, “hi, I’d like to place an order for pickup! Yeah, can I do two house specials, a catch of the day special, and a large side of egg rolls?” She nodded a few times, “yeah, it’s Yang Xiao Long,” she nodded again, “okay, thirty minutes? Thank you very much!” She hung up and stretched, “okay, I’ll go pick up food in a bit, until then, what do you wanna do?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  


“Ha Ha!” Ruby laid her cards down on the table, revealing a flush, “read em and weep, Blake!”

They had decided rather quickly on a friendly, non-betting game of poker, although with Blake’s current luck, she was wishing it was. Yang had left after a few hands to go pick up food, but the other two had seen no reason to stop.

“Hmm,” Blake smiled and laid her cards down, “full house,” she giggled as Ruby slumped back dramatically, “another hand?”

“You won’t win this one!” Ruby gathered up the cards and started shuffling them.

Blake had noticed that Ruby was very dexterous with her hands, and whether that came from her playing so many instruments or was part of the reason she did, she didn’t know, but it was fascinating to watch. Her fingers were quick and light as the cards passed between them, “come on, quit showing off and deal.”

“It needs a bit longer,” Ruby insisted, shuffling for a few more seconds before finally dealing the cards and setting the rest of the deck down on the side, “you won’t win this one, ms. Belladonna!”

Blake disagreed as she stared down at her hand, trying not to smile. A four of a kind, all aces, the only way Ruby beat her was if she was absurdly lucky.

“Ha!” Ruby set her cards down, and Blake immediately knew something was up. She had a royal flush, the rarest hand, and also impossible, because Blake held every ace, “beat that!”

“Cheater,” Blake said as she set her cards down, “where’d you get the fifth ace?”

Ruby blushed, “what fifth ace?” She smiled innocently, “I think you’re seeing things.”

“Uh huh,” Blake rolled her eyes, unable to help the smile on her face. It was cute, almost, how childlike Ruby acted when she wasn’t playing music, “you’re a cheater, which means I win again.”

“Hmph, how was I supposed to know you’d get all four aces?” Ruby grabbed her own ace and dropped it into her lap, then gathered the cards again, before Blake snatched the entire deck from her, “hey!”

“Yeah, you’re not dealing again,” she started to shuffle, but stopped when Yang came back in, a smile on her face and a bag in her hands.

“Guess what I got?” She stepped to the side, revealing Weiss standing indignantly behind her, “it’s a wild Weiss!”

Before anyone could ask questions, she spoke up, “I got to the hotel only to be informed that my reservation had been...cancelled early, and I was forced to drag my suitcases and myself out of the establishment.” She was clearly upset, but the blush on her face made it seem like there was more going on.

“Yeah, I found her wandering around,” Yang said proudly, “I’d already picked up the food, so I offered her a ride and a place to stay.”

“Yes, thank you for that,” she stiffly walked to the stairs, “I’m not hungry, so I’ll go to whichever room is available.”

“First one on the left,” Blake responded, watching her walk away before looking back at Yang, “you really found her wandering around?”

“Yeah, it’s crazy,” she started handing out the food, “maybe fate decided it was meant to be.”

“Well, can’t argue with fate,” Ruby said while digging in, “that’s bad luck.”

“Really? You’re gonna tell me you believe in luck after what you pulled?” Blake smiled as she stared down at the mountain of noodles buried under a layer of fish in front of her, “Yang, were you aware that your sister is a cheat?”

“What was it this time? A sneaky ace, the perfect deal?” She saw the look on Blake’s face and snickered, “both, huh?”

“Not my fault she got four aces,” Ruby complained through a mouthful of food.

“Not my fault you’re a sore loser,” Blake countered, her mouth equally full, “you better not cheat at every game like that.”

“Just ones with easily manipulated cards.”

Blake and Yang both rolled their eyes, and they all quickly fell to silence as they enjoyed their food. An hour later, they were all miserably full, but still smiling.

“If I eat another bite, I’m gonna puke,” Blake groaned and struggled to her feet, “thanks for dinner, I’ll pay you back-“

“Nope,” Yang shook her head, “I don’t need your money.”

“But-“

“No buts,” she shook her head again, “you’re part of the band, you live in this house, you’re basically family.”

Blake turned red, and slowly nodded, “O-okay, well, I’m going to bed.”

“Sleep well,” Ruby mumbled, “ugh, so good, but so much.”

“Yeah. Now, we need to have another talk about your cheating-“

“Nooooooo,” Ruby whined and looked at Blake with wide eyes, “save me!”

“Heh, sorry, Ruby,” Blake shrugged and started upstairs, smiling as she listened to Ruby let out a loud groan.

“Ruby, we’ve talked about this-“

“I know, I know, cheating is bad, I need to accept when I’m losing and be a good sport,” Ruby groaned and rolled her eyes.

“See, you know it,” Yang ruffled her hair and sighed, “so why aren’t you doing it?”

“Cause I wanna win,” Ruby sighed, “it’s no fun if I’m losing all the time.”

“Well, if you cheat, then you’re making everyone else feel how you feel when you lose,” Yang ruffled her hair again, “I know it sucks, but you have to be a good sport, otherwise no one’s going to play with you.” Ruby nodded but said nothing, “you got it?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay,” she scooped up the takeout box of egg rolls, “I’m gonna go offer Weiss some food, you start cleaning up down here, and then get ready for bed.”

“Okay,” Ruby sighed and started doing as she was asked, “m’sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Yang started upstairs, then stopped, “although, you really should apologize to Blake.” She continued upstairs, heading straight for Weiss’s door and knocking, “hey, Weiss, you mind if I come in?”

There was no answer, but the door swung open, and Weiss stood there, clearly holding back tears, “what is it?”

“Thought I’d offer you some food,” Yang held out the box and smiled.

“I’m not hungry,” Weiss started to close the door, but Yang just shoved her way in, “Hey!”

“Ruby used to do the same thing when she was sad, refuse to eat and just wallow in her emotions,” she sat down on Weiss’s bed, “I know how to deal with it, and that’s by talking.”

“I didn’t say you could come in!” Weiss stomped her foot in frustration, “I don’t need your pity, so just leave!”

“First of all, my house, so, I can do what I want,” Yang felt bad for saying it, but she needed to for Weiss’s sake, “second of all, it’s not pity, it’s care,” she patted the bed next to her, “so sit down, and let’s talk for a bit.”

Weiss crossed her arms and scowled, “I do not want to talk.”

“Well, then I guess we’re just gonna sit here in silence,” Yang opened up the box, and the smell of fried food filled the air, “cause I’m not leaving until we talk.”

Weiss’s scowl deepened, but she could play this game, she’d done it a thousand times, and it never failed. Her will was stronger than the blonde’s, and despite how hungry she might have been, she wasn’t going to-

Her silent speech was interrupted by her stomach growling loudly, and her ears turned bright red as Yang just smiled and said nothing. The food was starting to smell really good, and as her stomach growled again, she said quietly, “fine, let’s talk.”

“So, what’s bothering you?” Yang asked immediately, “cause, you were definitely crying when I came up here.”

“I was not!” Weiss huffed, “I would not cry over something as small as having my hotel reservation cancelled by my father.”

“Okay, well what about the rest of it?” Yang asked, “because you seemed pretty against the idea of accepting my offer to stay here.”

“I-“ she crossed her arms and scowled, “I did not want your pity.”

“Told you, not pity.”

“Whatever you call it! I didn’t ask for your help!”

“But that doesn’t mean you didn’t need it,” Yang sighed, “look, I understand wanting to do things on your own, but I found you wandering around a city you don’t know after dark.”

“I would have been fine!”

“Then you can leave.” Weiss was shaken to the core as Yang said it so casually, “but if that’s what you actually wanted, you would have ignored me when I found you on the street.”

“I-I-“ Weiss’s hands curled at her sides, “dust! Get out and leave me alone!”

Yang watched her for a moment, then shrugged, “fine,” she set the food on Weiss’s bed and stood up, “you can stay here tonight and find somewhere else tomorrow, since that’s what you want,” she walked past Weiss, “goodnight.” She closed the door, and Weiss finally let her tears fall.

They weren’t sad tears, they were angry, bitter, fueled by the terrible hand she had been dealt. She had been lied to, and abandoned, and now she had nothing. Except that wasn’t true, she had this band now, the people she had known for less than a day and had already shown her more kindness than her actual family ever did.

She looked over at the box of food, then shook her head and grabbed it before heading out the door and downstairs, “Yang,” she looked the blonde in the eye and sighed, “thank you, for what you’re doing for me, I...I do appreciate it.”

“It’s no problem,” she shrugged and pointed to the box, “you eat?”

“I don’t like to eat in the same place I sleep, so if it’s okay, I’d like to sit down here for a bit.”

“Sure,” Yang looked over as Ruby walked out of the bathroom, dressed in her pajamas and yawning, “head on up to bed, Rubes, I’ll be up in a few.”

“Mhm,” Ruby yawned again and mumbled, “gonna ‘poligize to Blake first.”

“Okay, you do that,” she watched her trudge up the stairs, then sat down across from Weiss, who was slowly eating an egg roll, “so…”

“I’m sorry for yelling at you,” she said quietly, “I clearly don’t handle my emotions properly, and I unnecessarily took them out on you.”

“I mean, I was gonna ask how the food was, but I accept your apology.”

“Oh,” Weiss blushed and nodded, “despite how unhealthy it is, it’s very good.”

“It’s very good because it’s unhealthy,” Yang corrected with a smile, “although I’m sure you’re used to caviar and steak seven days a week.”

“Don't be ridiculous,” Weiss shot her with a glare, “you would never serve caviar and steak together.”

“Uh huh,” she rolled her eyes but didn’t lose her smile, “so, about earlier, at the gym-“

“You’re still an idiot, but thank you for standing up for me.”

“No, I mean, before that,” Yang was actually blushing as she stammered out, “the, uh, casual flirting, I’m sorry about that, I’m sure you weren’t comfortable with it, and I shouldn’t have just assumed you were.”

“Oh, right,” Weiss had buried those memories immediately after they happened, “I...yes, it did make me uncomfortable, so thank you for apologizing, but I’ll be honest,” her blush grew as she looked down at the ground, “I’ve never had anyone talk about me like that,” she realized how that sounded and quickly added on, “which is not an invitation for more! We barely know each other, and I’m not looking for a relationship like that at the moment!”

“Right, yeah, I understand,” Yang nodded and stood up, “well, I’m gonna head up to bed, whatever you don’t finish just throw in the fridge.”

“Oh, goodnight.”

“You too, Weiss.”

~~~~~~~~~~~   
  


The next morning, Yang woke to the sound of a shrill whistle. She shot up and looked around, expecting to see the fire department barreling down on them, but instead just saw Ruby sleeping like a log in her bed. With a sigh, Yang got herself out of bed and made her way downstairs.

“Oh, hey, sorry,” Blake apologized as soon as she saw her coming downstairs, “I woke up early and decided to make tea,” she gestured to the kettle, “I hope you don’t mind.”

“Nah, it’s fine,” Yang yawned and joined her in the kitchen, starting the coffee maker, “just know that you’re probably the only person that will drink it.”

As she said this, Ruby came down, rubbing her eyes and yawning as she walked into the kitchen, “coffee?”

“Working on it,” Yang ruffled her hair and smiled, “go brush your teeth and all that, it’ll be ready once you’re done.”

“M’kay,” Ruby hugged Blake suddenly from behind, “mornin’.”

“Ruby, that’s Blake,” Yang pulled her away, “dad’s not here, remember?”

“Oh yeah,” Ruby yawned again, “m’sorry.” She trudged off to the bathroom.

“Sorry about that-“

“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Blake poured herself a cup of tea and quickly retreated to the living room, hoping Yang wouldn’t follow.

“I hope that’s not all you’re having for breakfast,” Yang, in fact, did follow, a smug grin on her face, “I was thinking of whipping up some eggs, you want some?”

“No, I’ll be fine with just this,” Blake took a sip and smiled, but her stomach betrayed her as it growled loudly.

“Yeah, how do you want your eggs?” Yang barely stifled a laugh.

“Any way is fine, I’m not picky,” she blushed and looked over as Weiss came down the stairs, stretching and yawning as well, “she might be though.”

“Fried is fine,” Weiss mumbled, “is the coffee ready?”

“It’s coming up soon,” Yang explained, “so I was thinking after breakfast we’d plan our next practice, maybe get a schedule going-“ she stopped as Ruby came out of the bathroom, then silently shook her head and pointed, “nice try, go finish up.”

“Ugh, dad’s not even here,” Ruby groaned and retreated back to the bathroom.

“Anyways, schedule, figure all that out, and then hang out for the rest of the day.”

“That sounds horribly unproductive,” Weiss complained, “we have an entire day, and you just want to hang out?”

“I mean, yeah,” Yang shrugged, “it would be good for all of us if we just spend time together and get to know one another.”

Weiss groaned, “If you insist.”

“Trust me, Weiss, you’ll warm up to the idea,” Yang smiled at her, then stood up as the coffee maker dinged, “finally! Be right back.”

As she disappeared into the kitchen, Weiss took a seat on the couch, leaving a space between her and Blake.

“So, sleep well?” Blake asked, unsure of what to say but desperate to not sit in uncomfortable silence.

“I’ve slept better,” Weiss sighed, “the city is far too loud.”

“Didn’t you live in Atlas?”

“In the Schnee Manor, which is not in the city,” Weiss sighed again, “you know so much about my family I assumed you knew that as well.”

“I was just asking,” Blake mumbled and sipped her tea.

“Hey, do I hear fighting in here?” Yang came back to the living room with three mugs and a pot of coffee, “that’s never a good way to start the day.”

“We weren’t fighting-“ Weiss reached for a mug, but Yang pulled it away and gave her a look, “what?!”

“Apologize, you were being rude,” Yang explained, “I’ve had to have this talk with Ruby, and I’ll have it with you, too.”

Weiss sighed, “fine,” she looked over at Blake, “I’m sorry...for being so dismissive.”

Blake looked down at her tea, then back up at Weiss, “it’s fine, I was just worried, cause this is a new place for you,” she set her tea down, “I know when I moved here I didn’t sleep well for at least a week.”

Weiss’s face softened, “oh, I...thank you for the concern, but I will be fine.”

“Much better,” Yang handed her a steaming mug of coffee, “here’s your coffee.”

“Thank you.”

“Ooo, I smell coffee!” Ruby came speeding into the living room, grabbed a full mug from Yang, then sped over to the kitchen and poured cream and sugar into it before coming back, “ah, so good!”

“Okay, I’m gonna start breakfast, Ruby knows my schedule, so you all can start getting plans together if you want.”


End file.
